Superior Town Council Tackles Bike Safety and Public Art

Bike safety and public murals dominated Superior’s February 9 town meeting.

Public Works and Utilities Director Brannon Richards briefed Town Council on bike and pedestrian safety along 88th Street, the main access route to Monarch K-8 and Monarch High School for residents of Rock Creek and parts of downtown Superior. The corridor becomes heavily congested at the start and end of the school day, and cars illegally occupying bike lanes have resulted in injuries to cyclists and pedestrians.

A map of 88th Street. Promenade Drive is on the south side, and its terminus at Dillon Road is on the north side. Monarch K-8 and Monarch High are on the east side, near the center.

Richards presented video footage showing students riding on sidewalks and against traffic. “[Students] don’t want to cross 88th Street by the school,” he said. “They have to wait for the signal […]. There’s no sidewalk on 88th Street on the Louisville side.”

Staff recommendations included extending the 20 MPH school zone into Superior and adding a protected, two-lane bike lane on the east side. Richards noted the flex posts protecting the lane would not interfere with snow plowing. He closed his presentation with a blunt assessment: “[The] current situation is the most dangerous: if we do nothing.”

Mayor Mark Lacis praised the video evidence. “You can drive 88th Street every day, but if you’re not capturing it at […] school drop-off time, you’re going to miss the heart of the problem.” He added that the Council was “on board with staff’s recommendations.”

The meeting’s second major item drew sharper debate. Council considered a resolution to partner with Boulder nonprofit Streetwise Arts on a mural festival planned for October. Proposed locations included the amphitheater, concrete benches along Main Street, the Marshall Road underpass, public restrooms, and a dumpster enclosure, with a total budget of $74,000, including $10,000 drawn from the Art & History department.

Mayor Pro-Tem Jason Serbu didn’t hide his skepticism. “This whole thing was supposed to be big murals. I get the underpass, I get the breezeway, but… park benches? A garbage thing? And, forgive my language, but… a shitter?”

Liza McKenzie, vice-chair of the Cultural Arts and Public Spaces Advisory Committee, pushed back. “Those little pieces of art here and there, […] they’re integrated into places we want people to be. A public bathroom? I know it sounds silly, but people use them. That’s where the community is.”

Council members Jenn Kaaoush and Stephanie Miller backed the proposal. “I love the benches,” said Miller. “I’m okay moving funds into this, knowing it creates more of a sense of place.”

Art & History Supervisor Jennifer Garner acknowledged the budget impact plainly: “It’s workable, but it will absolutely take away from museum programming, public art maintenance, and other smaller programs.”

Mayor Lacis offered a closing argument in favor. “The one thing I’ve never heard from any resident, ever, is ‘You guys are spending too much on art.'”

The Council voted 5-2 to approve the resolution. Council member Foster and Mayor Pro-Tem Serbu voted against.

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